I have started this blog mainly for the upcoming cruise, but have found it to be a fun thing. We have been very fortunate to be able to travel to many places, but would like to feel like friends and family are experiencing it with us. Hopefully, this will give you a chance to see as we go, so you don't have to get bored with all of our photos when we get home!!!

Friday, July 21, 2017

My Go-To Scripture Always Comes in Handy

When I joined the Church in 1974 the first scripture I memorized was Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

When I saw Spiderman I was struck by the scene where Tony Stark tells Peter Parker "I'm taking back the suit" And Peter says, "I am nothing without the suit!" Now here is where I may lose you. I have loved teaching Seminary. And online Seminary is a bit of a different calling than early morning--it is an intense calling. And for those three years, I was called to do other things at the same time, but Seminary was the biggest part--AND I LOVED IT. And now for me it is over.

Let me explain: Allan and I have been trying to decide when we were going to serve a full-time mission, and after prayer and a great deal of thought, we felt now was the time--so I needed to be released. When I taught online Seminary it engulfed my time and my life for 3 years, and now feel somewhat like Peter Parker and in my mind find myself thinking, "I am nothing WITHOUT SEMINARY." Because I love learning and I love teaching, I will never regret any part of it. Yes, I became a bit of a hermit while teaching, but I am so grateful for the 4 years of early morning and the 3 years of on-line.

So now here I sit, the papers are in for our mission. (Yes, I have been a service missionary for almost 2 years and have loved it very much--serving as my husband's companion (THE BEST)--but it hasn't been full time, so this new experience will be different!

We have requested to serve a 6 month mission from home and are now waiting for the call. (6 months because there are things we are waiting to hear about and can't commit right now to more than 6 months) With this new call, life will change. And whenever there is change, doubt sets in: Can I do this? Am I ready? (Yes, I know, believe me, I can quote the scriptures, I have given the encouragement to others (including my own boys--"of course, you can do it!!!!"), but I wonder what if I AM NOT AS GOOD ENOUGH AS SO AND SO... We had the missionaries in our home last night and I love their enthusiasm for the work and their love of people. I have felt that love and pray that I will be blessed with eyes that see others as the Lord sees them--that has not always been easy for me and is one of the things that scares me.

When we were being interviewed our Stake President asked, "I know you have requested serving from home, but what if you are asked to serve somewhere else?"

With no hesitation, our answer in unison--"We'll go wherever!" That's a no-brainer! And we will!

I think about missing my children/grandchildren and the greats, but in a way it won't be any different--I miss them now and don't get to see them as often as I would like.

I know the Lord will bless me, and I can do this. I just have to trust--why I'm grateful I memorized that scripture all those years ago!!! These two years as a service missionary have prepared me and have been great training for whatever lies ahead. Don't you just love how the Lord prepares us!!!

Sidenote: I had a little procedure done on my nose and face the other day. First of all, I need to tell whichever one of my children had a procedure that involved liquid nitrogen where something was frozen off, I AM SO SORRY!!! I don't remember you complaining but I should have taken you home and sat by your bed and made sure you were okay. It was PRETTY DARN PAINFUL!!!! Secondly, it isn't terribly comforting when the doctor says he's going to cut something off your nose and you may not like how it looks but you'll probably like it better than the way it looks now!!!! Seriously, I know I am not in contention for Mrs. America, but I still have a little bit of concern about how I look ; ) I felt like he dug through my nostril clear through to the other nostril.

How thrilling to put in your mission papers and wait, just like Brent and Kyle did to see where you'll be sent. I know that you'll follow the mantra- "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord. I'll do what you want me to do." All of your callings have prepared you for this moment. Of course it goes without saying, you will be missed here in Winnipeg!

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Welcome to my blog. The main reason I created this blog was to record trips so that family and friends could see where we were. It has become much more. I love making memories and sharing them with others.

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MY GOAL

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." --Ephesians 4:31-32